All work and no play for children: Losing their childhood and their happiness?
Thursday, March 6, 2014 - 08:32
in Psychology & Sociology
A UK Department for Health-commissioned survey in 2004 concluded that 1 in 10 British children aged 5-16 are diagnosed with mental disorders. Childhood stress, psychological problems and self-abuse are increasing. Gone are the hazy days when kids could run free all day and play. Through play “children develop… an emergent sense of competence … feelings of ‘belonging’, ‘usefulness’, and subsequent well-being”. When deprived of play, children lack social connectivity and have less ‘mental wellness’.